DIY: Car Eyes!

I don’t know about you but summer has been brutal where we live. We decided to make a window shield for our car because we were sick and tired of burning ourselves on the hot hot seats! We could have bought one at a local auto accessory shop but why when it was just as easy as cutting down a box and painting on some cute eyes. Plus, I think ours looks better.

All you need for this simple craft is:

• a 24×24 inch box (or something comparable)
• some paint (I opted for spray paint and water-based acrylic because I wanted it to dry quickly)
• a box cutter
• something to measure with like a measuring tape or yardstick

A quick note: obviously box cutters and spray paint are not for kids. So you will have to find a responsible adult to use these tools but don’t worry kids will have plenty of fun measuring your car windows and painting or coloring in a design on the window shield itself.

The first step is to measure your car’s front window. Mine was roughly 23 inches high and 42 inches across but I have a small car. You might need a bigger box to accommodate a larger car.

Next you’ll need to cut down your box with your handy dandy box cutter (serrated knives work great too, just be careful of little fingers). Cut off all the outer flaps and then cut a seam down one side of your box so you have one long flat rectangle. Then you’ll need to measure out your window on the cardboard. If you can, position a fold of the box as the middle and then measure symmetrically outwards for both sides of the window. For example from my center, I needed 21 inches on each side. This will help you later when you are scoring your box so it folds up easily. But don’t worry too much if the folds don’t work out perfectly.

To create a fold in your rectangle, score (or cut lightly) a straight line straight down from top to bottom everywhere you’d like your window shield to fold. You’ll want to make about five scoring lines–two on each side plus one in the center that you don’t need to cut because it’s already a folded. All these folds are so you can fold up your shield to a manageable size for stashing in your car when you’re driving. You might want more or less scoring lines depending on your car’s window and your mad math skillz. Math is not my strong point so feel free to do your own calculations. You basically just need it to fold down nice and neat.

Once you have it all measured, cut and folded, feel free to test it out in your car to make sure it fits. Some cars window shields might need modifications to fit around an extra big rear view mirror or maybe really big hula girl that’s super-glued to your dashboard. Just make it work.

Now you’re ready to paint. I used a quick and dirty coat of white outdoor spray paint that I had on hand but anything water-based will do. I just wanted it to dry quickly. You’ll want to make sure that your paint is something that can sit in the hot sun and not melt. Sadly, that means crayons are out but marker pens would work great, especially if you can’t paint outdoors and you’re worried about ventilation.

My daughter and I painted on some big black eyes on our window shield but you could paint anything here. Flames, a happy sun, maybe a marriage proposal sign…the sky is the limit! Just have fun!

Let the paint dry and when it’s done you are ready for some car shade action! You could also fold up your window shield, tie it with fancy ribbon and give it away as a gift to you favorite driver. I know a few in my family who would dig this.

******************
Difficulty Level: Easy!
Appropriate Age levels: Five and Up
* Please make sure a responsible adult is on hand for the steps involving a a sharp blade, spray paint or any paint that is not child-friendly.
* Also, do not drive with car window shield still up in your window. Duh!
* Posing on top of car probably not advised though surprisingly popular.

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Brenda Ponnay

Brenda Ponnay is a stealthy secret agent who juggles parenthood to her adorable daughter by day and freelance graphic design/illustration by night. Whether it’s painting, baking, drawing, mak...

Brenda Ponnay is a stealthy secret agent who juggles parenthood to her adorable daughter by day and freelance graphic design/illustration by night. Whether it’s painting, baking, drawing, making castles out of cardboard boxes or just doing the laundry with flair, Brenda Ponnay has learned that what really makes her happy is being creative every single day.

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